06-26-2017, 06:42 PM
(06-25-2017, 10:06 PM)eb44345 Wrote: I hope no one got the impression that I'm cheering for these things to happen. Personally, I'm very individualistic and libertarian-leaning. It doesn't make me happy that a 4th turning is a time of growing collectivism, both on the Left and on the Right. I spend a lot of time arguing against both leftwing collectivists with their social justice agendas and rightwing collectivists with their white nationalism.
I just brought up the education issue because it's an issue I'm very familiar with having worked at a college for over 10 years. I see the dumbed down curriculum and students unable to find work after college. I see how student's tuition is 3 times what is was for me when I went to the same school 15 years ago. The entire system is unsustainable.
In short, I don't really like the way things are going. I don't want to see a more powerful government, but that's what always happens in a 4th turning. Love this forum though. Lots of deep thinkers here.
I think too many people are hooked on libertarianism. I understand the appeal. Government is "coercive." It seems like lots of people forget just how coercive big business is, and how extremely collectivist it is. You are no more strongly tied to a collective herd than when you work for a boss in a corporation. That is much more collectivist than having social programs paid for by taxes.
We need social justice. Too many people today are unfairly fired, poorly paid, and left without health insurance under the libertarian rule we have had for 40 years now. Too many people are still discriminated against, and even gunned down on the streets by cops for no reason. Our environment is being ravaged in the name of deregulation.
I sympathize with your views on education. I haven't been on campus for a while, and I don't know how dumbed down education is. I know it's too expensive for what you get today, and how hard it is for many millennials to get a job.
This is in my opinion mostly due to economic libertarians. They turned our society in a direction of privatization, defeating all Democratic Party attempts to make college more affordable. They give all breaks to the upper classes, using self-reliance, small government and "taxes are theft" memes to convince poor whites to blame other poor folks for their declining fortunes, and to vote for Republicans in the hope that giving all the breaks to the "job creaters" will trickle down. It doesn't work. Pain trickles up instead.